Flagon Wars 4
by Cougarmadcat
Summary: Back to the Flagon after going to the Ironfist Stronghold and off to get a farm girl.
1. Back from Stronghold

Three good jobs had gone past and he was happily drinking some ale with Karnwyr beside him when his dire wolf's head lifted, and turned towards the door. The dire wolf stood and wagged his tail in a very puppy-like fashion. Bishop grinned, knowing what that meant. The dire wolf smelled the hobbit. The little woman had been away for almost three months now and even he was beginning to miss their glaring wars. It had been too boring there without someone to bug.

Then there she was. She stood at the door while her female friends called to her from their table and the dwarf howled for some brew. Avera didn't have a chance to get to the table. Karnwyr barked and ran right to her. She turned and a smile lit her little face as she jumped into his chest fur, "Puppy! I missed you, Runt!"

The man behind her looked as if he were about to attack the dire wolf but when he saw the little woman cuddle up to the animal, he took his hand off the handle over his shoulder. Bishop let go of his bow as soon as the larger man resettled himself. Now what was attached to that handle? He could not see behind this towering man. But that human certainly kept close to the hobbit.

He watched as a gnome bounced around Karnwyr and looked him over, singing a little tune under his breath, "Oh my but he is such a big boy. Is he yours!"

Avera sputtered through the fur, "Karnwyr is this ranger's familiar or animal companion, actually."

The human looked down at her with a mellow expression upon his face, "He certainly seems to like you."

She peeked out from under the fur then gave Karnwyr one last rub before sending him back to a glaring Bishop.

"Avera!" Yelled one of the urchins as she bowled the woman over, "Look, look! New clothes! I made them all with that cloth you brought back! Why didn't you stay?"

"I had to do some more work. We found a lost stronghold for Khelgar."

The girl squealed in glee, "Wolf will love to hear about that!"

"Well, you go on and tell him. Maybe Grobnar can sing you his song that he's been working on. But don't shirk your chores!" She stood with help from the large man. Their hands lingered together for a few moments longer than was probably necessary.

"You are good with them." His voice was level but there was a tone of pride that Bishop could not miss.

"Wouldn't she make a fine mother some day?" Elanee chirped.

"Would you and Neeshka quit?"

Elanee deflated, "Well, I'm sure you would."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

"It's ok. I know you have to be tired." Elanee tapped a pot of tea, "Good timing! Sal just made this up for us."

Avera took her seat as the man shadowed her. Bishop watched him carefully realizing that he was a paladin. How in the world did she pick up a gnome and a paladin? Did she go hunting for the weird and unusual? And how did she get the paladin watching over her like a huge, walking shield?

"I am sure she would make a wonderful mother when she is ready." The paladin turned his head and looked directly at Bishop. He sized up the ranger as he realized the ranger was watching his leader, and sizing him up as well, "Is there anything I should know about this place? When we last came it was only for a couple of nights."

Bishop could almost hear the, "And he was not here sneering at you."

"Not much." Khelgar grunted as he plunked down their ale, "You already know to get yourself what you need; bug Sal, the kids or Duncan for something. Other than that, this is our side of the room and we can hang out by the fireplace if we like. That," He pointed to Bishop's table, "Is his area."

"And the two shall not meet." He assessed the ranger one more time.

"Something like that." Neeshka admitted.

"Well, it has been a long day. If you do not mind, I shall retire."

Avera grabbed her mug of tea and got off her chair, "I need a good bath then to bed I go. Will you escort me to the washing room?"

"Of course, my lady." Casavir answered and the two left the common room.

What was this "my lady" bit? That paladin was going to be a complication. He just knew it.

Nnn

He walked into the common room to a strange sight. The group was at their table for breakfast but Avera was turned to the side, glaring at the ranger directly across from them. There was an untouched plate of food beside her and a cup of tea that she was picking up for a drink and putting back down without looking.

"Morning Casavir." Elanee watched him walk towards the table.

"What is this?" He asked while looking back and forth between Avera and Bishop. One of the children ran up to him so he pointed to Avera's plate, "New food please. The cats can have that."

The little boy grabbed the plate from the table without bothering Avera and ran to the kitchen.

"It's a glaring match, lad." Casavir raised an eyebrow as Khelgar went on, "Started up a bit before we went to Old Owl Well. They do this every now and again. Test of wills, it is."

The child who had taken the cold food returned with two dishes of hot food. Another child put another mug and a new pot of hot tea on the table. Casavir put one plate in front of Avera then placed the other beside the first, and sat down directly in front of the woman to break off the staring match, "You should eat, my lady. I think it will likely be another long day ahead for all of us." He had no idea who this person was but he knew he did not like him looking at Avera. He did not like it at all.

Bishop leaned back and smirked. So this man was protective and jealous.


	2. Farm Girls and Oil

Duncan was being eaten up with concern. His niece and her friends had left the Flagon a couple of days ago but had not returned or sent word to say where they would be going. Wolf had been able to get some information from one of the guards at Blacklake's gate by pretending that Avera was his mother and he and his father were worried. He explained that they had gone to see the sage Aldanon then went to the city records vault for some reason. From there they had left Neverwinter in a hurry.

Finally the group entered the tavern. Duncan rushed over to his niece and looked her over to make sure she was alright, "You have been gone for a couple of days! What happened?"

"We saw the sage Aldanon. The shards are part of some sword but we needed to find out about a living relative to a man who had a sword like this. We went to the city records vault to search their records, and found out that the githyanki were going to go after this woman here." She pointed to Shandra, who nodded to Duncan.

"Well, now this is someone new to my establishment. Now who is this young lady?"

"This is Shandra - Shandra, Duncan. Duncan, Shandra."

"Please, lass, come in, come in. Make yourself at home. This here is the Sunken Flagon, I own it - you'll be safe here. Grobnar, play a tune or something, make the lady feel welcome."

"Why, of course, I was just th-"

"Look we don't need a lecture on what passes through your head and out your mouth. Just play."

Shandra grimaced, "Well, the innkeeper certainly runs hot and cold."

"He's my uncle. You can trust him. It's just that Grobnar tends to frustrate him at times."

The woman took a closer look at the hobbit, "Really? You don't look anything alike."

"His half brother is my foster father."

"Oh. All right, I agreed to let you bring me here, now I want some answers." She stood tall and looked down on the hobbit as if githyanki would spew from her mouth, "What happened at my farm? Who were those creatures? And why were they after me?"

"It is a long story and I don't have all the answers. I was hoping that we could work together to figure it all out."

Shandra continued to glare at Avera, "I am not sure what you think I know."

Casavir stepped forward and spoke to the woman in a calming tone, "Shandra, we realize this is difficult, but your life may be in danger - and I swear to you, we are trying to protect you, not make more trouble for you."

"Oh." The farmer became meek and apologetic, "All right, sorry. Guess the whole thing's hard to take all at once." She became coy towards the paladin, making both Neeshka and Avera upset.

"A little paladin charm sure calmed her quick." Neeshka quipped to Avera in a low whisper.

"Too quick." Avera said in muffled tones and grimaced.

"Does it bother you that much?" The tiefling continued whispering.

Avera sighed, "I think I am going to need mallow tea. I feel ..."

"Ick? I will see if I can drum some up for you."

Shandra ignored the two women. She finally shook herself out of staring at the paladin. She had noticed him while they traveled to Neverwinter but did not take much notice as his back had been to her almost all the way. Her mind had been onccupied with escaping the gith. Now that he had spoken directly to her, she acknowledged him with growing interest, "But... what could I know that's so important?"

Avera closed her eyes for a moment, "It is what an Ammon Jerro knew which is important. The creatures that were after you, the githyanki, want to get to his haven."

"Ammon Jerro? He was my grandfather. Or my great-grandfather … or was it my great-great-grandfather?" She cocked her head to the side, "I heard he was an eccentric, but humble wizard - but he died a long time ago. What's he got to do with this whole mess?"

"There is information stored in his haven about a silver sword. These githyanki want the sword and need you to find it."

"My mother told me about the Haven when I was a child. I thought it was just a tale she used to make me do my chores on time. She always threatened to lock me in there if I wasn't a good girl."

"The Haven is real, and we need to find it before those creatures do. We have to stop the gith from doing more harm to people."

"I have no idea where it is. Knowing its location wouldn't help you much anyway. My mother said something about a ... path you have to walk to get to it. Like a series of challenges, but I don't remember what they are."

The hobbit rolled her shoulders to get out the kinks. Casavir immediately rubbed the tense area until she seemed better. She put her hand back to touch his fingers, "Challenges? Just what we need."

"She also said getting into the Haven requires a pint of fresh blood. And not just any blood will do ... it has to be Jerro blood." The woman put her arms around herself, shivering. She thought about what she had just said then her eyes grew wide in fear, "Wait... is that why you 'rescued' me? So you could bleed me?"

Casavir shook his head, "That was not our intention, Shandra. Please ... hear us out."

Shandra looked the paladin over, thinking about just how handsome he was but not willing to put down her guard, "Well, if you think I'm going to some dark dungeon that used to give me nightmares, well... think again."

"There is no way I would force you to go somewhere you did not wish to go. You've been through too much as it is. We will find a different way to enter the Haven."

"Oh... Well then, I'm glad you understand. That's a little more than I was expecting, actually." She spoke to Avera but kept her eyes on Casavir.

"What else did your mother tell you about the Haven?" Avera rubbed a hand over her mouth in thought.

"My mother said his Haven was like a hundred twisting corridors jumbled together into an inescapable labyrinth, filled with the deadliest traps and evil beasts conjured from the Abyss." The woman thought it over for a moment, "Or... something like that. I think she was exaggerating."

"I can see why a person would have nightmares of the place."

"Perhaps it is just childhood stories, but even if I knew where the Haven was, it's the last place I'd want to go."

"Do you know anything more about Ammon Jerro?"

"I have no memory of meeting him. But my mother told me that he saw me a few times as a babe, but I was too young to remember. Mother said he would cradle me and sing to me, and I would pull out his beard hairs."

"Eh. Just keep your distance from me, lass."

Avera laughed, "If Ammon Jerro was 'eccentric, but humble,' it's not likely his Haven is a place to fear."

Shandra nodded, "Hmmm... you know, I never thought of it that way. You may be right. Look, I can barely think, let alone stand. I really need rest and something to drink."

"Shandra, I believe Duncan has rooms upstairs, and you are welcome to join us at our table." Casavir announced.

"I do have rooms upstairs and fine brew, too."

"Oh ... uh, thanks for the hospitality ... uh, Casavir, right? I appreciate it."

The paladin nodded, trying to reassure her, "Of course. You have been through a great deal, it is the least we can offer."

"That I can offer, he means. My inn, you know, always eager to help a lass in distress, we are, here at the Sunken Flagon."

Avera touched Casavir's arm, "I am going to visit the children. There seems to be a peeking nymph over there who is looking for my attention." A dark mop of hair suddenly disappeared into the hallway.

He grinned, "Very well. We will see you shortly then."

As Avera left the room, Shandra sat down in the chair the hobbit normally used and Casavir walked down the hall towards their rooms.

Nnn

The ornamental bottle in his hand was light but the intention behind buying it was weighted. It was a small gift which he had tried to rationalize with the belief that it was only to relieve Avera's tension.

Lying to himself about his desires was becoming more and more difficult to continue. Every day that he was near her became a blinding struggle. Her scent drove him mad, and it was agonizing trying to keep himself from touching her. He could feel when she was disturbed, without even looking at her then he would try to soothe her nerves.

There was an internal battle raging within him concerning whether his feelings were true and whether Avera felt the same. The fight on what to do about his feelings kept him from doing anything. He knew he wanted her. It was not a purely carnal interest. That kind of affection he could ignore. What he wanted was much more. The carnal and the love. To be a partner, sharing in everything that made up both of them was his goal.

This was surprising as he had expected to die honorably at Old Owl Well in order to atone for the pain he had caused. He thought he would never love again as all love, or mistaken love, had done for him was to hurt others and himself. So he had planned on leaving Katriona and the troops at night to traverse the Eyegouger cave alone.

Then she showed up and their eyes met.

Teachers had told him to trust in visions from Tyr. If you asked then you would receive the truth in dream and day visions. That was Tyr's way for loyal followers. But he had fought the dream visions out of fear. How could he love after all that had happened? But this halfling woman had continued to amuse, stimulate and amaze him like no other could.

Their closeness while they were alone traveling from Old Owl Well to the Sunken Flagon had almost broken his strength of will. She seemed to want him as much as he wanted her. But he never acted on his urges no matter how tempted he was. Even though he knew what he wanted, he could not get over his insecurities. He was afraid that his feelings were wrong or that Avera would not return his affections.

He thought of when he first gave her a backrub. It had begun as a friendly gesture. Then he noticed himself wanting to touch her bare skin more. He kept telling himself that it was only to satisfy her need for comfort. That was only part of the truth. The other reason was so he could touch her and to hear her being pleased by his ministrations. It gave him a thrill to know that she reacted so positively to his touch.

That is what brought him to get her this present.

They had to travel through a market while they were returning from Shandra's farm. The farm girl grabbed Avera, forcing her to go off to shop. Khelgar and Grobnar also went to find supplies leaving Casavir guarding their packs.

Shopping was not something he was interested in at that time. Worry etched itself into his brain as they had found further danger for Avera to confront. The danger to herself was great yet she still put herself at risk to save Shandra. He was torn between admiring her resolve and pulling her away from the endangerment. But he knew that she would continue to fight just as he would. It scared him and made him admire her even more.

As he waited for his partners to return, he slowly assessed the market's stalls. His eyes scanned the area until one stall stood out. This particular vendor was selling scented oils.

Now he stood in her bedroom beside the mattress she slept on. Without Avera's presence it felt awkward. Her warmth infused him when she was there. When she was away it was cool but nowhere near as inviting. His resolve started to splinter. The nervous side of himself kept feeling she would not accept this token. His stolid side felt that she would not only accept it but appreciate it as well.

All he needed to do was leave the bottle on her favorite pillow and leave. She would require a backrub later in the evening, and he believed she would know the present was from him. He could decide then if the timing was right to talk to her about their feelings for each other.

He noticed a scroll under the pillow as he put the bottle down. There were further scrolls hidden by more pillows. Being a snoop was not a thing he wished to be but he could not force himself away. His hand removed a scroll and opened it. It was an enlargement spell. Further investigation proved that they all seemed to be the same type of scroll.

A smile crept onto his face as he returned the scrolls to their proper place. Maybe he had been worrying too much about whether she felt the same way he did. He hoped he was right about his and her feelings.

He made sure the bottle was settled in it's spot then left with a lighter heart.


	3. Dresses and Dances

Khelgar yelled at Casavir as he got up to get drinks, "Get some for all of us, lad."

"You wouldn't?" Elanee coughed.

"I would and I am." The dwarf snapped. He had left things alone until Duncan had left their table. That man had chatted with the farm girl for too long, as far as he was concerned. Then Casavir came back from wherever he had gone. Now that neither of them were at the table to get in the way, he was going to give her what for, "Grab another chair, lass."

Elanee stepped down from the raised section that held their table and obtained another chair. She placed it at the end of the table and sat back in her seat.

Khelgar tapped the table to get Shandra's attention, "First thing's first, lass." He said, taking her attention off Casavir.

"What is it?" She was confused by the dwarf's tone, and unhappy to be taken from dreamily watching the paladin.

"Get out of Avera's seat or I will throw you out of it. That is her spot and hers only!"

Shandra looked shocked. She noticed the dwarf meant it so got out of the seat as requested and went to the new chair.

"Next," Khelgar started but was interrupted.

"Back off with the paladin!" Neeshka barked.

"What?" That was an even bigger surprise to the farmer.

"You heard the lass. Our little woman likes the man and we're not going to allow you to brazenly flirt with him in front of her."

Neeshka pushed forward, sneering, "If you hurt her then we're likely to drop you back off at your farm for the githyanki to go find you. Next time, no one will save you."

"It is your fault they attacked me in the first place!"

"Oh grow up!" Snapped Elanee to everyone's surprise, "You were already told that they want your blood to get into your grandfather's haven. Did you just glass that part over?"

"But they didn't come after me until after you all showed up."

The dwarf noticed Casavir turning with the drinks and pointed.

Elanee knocked Grobnar's shoulder as he had been standing at the table, ominously in his own little word humming a tune, "I think Casavir wanted to know how you came up with your foot fungus song."

"Oh he did? That's wonderful!" With that the gnome was off to intercept the paladin to tell him the full tale of his great song.

Neeshka watched as Grobnar stopped the paladin then turned back to Elanee, "That was cruel. Maybe you have been with us too long."

Elanee shrugged, "It was for the greater good."

Khelgar chortled, "Anyway, those gith were after Avera before you, yes, but they didn't go after you because of her. They want your blood and they would have attacked you no matter what."

"So you want me to back off?"

"Yes. Avera is the one who decided we should save you when we found out that the gith were after you. They want you alive for your blood but they want her dead! She risked her life to save yours. I think you owe it to her." Neeshka glanced back at the gnome and paladin to make sure they were still by the bar.

Shandra sighed, "He is gorgeous but I guess you're right. She really did not have to help me, especially when it was such a risk to herself to do so."

"It's not like you have a chance with him, but your flirting can hurt her." Neeshka snickered.

"And what makes you think I wouldn't have a chance with the man?" Shandra was offended.

The tiefling snorted in disdain, "Had you been so caught up by his looks that you didn't notice?"

"Notice what? I'll have you know …"

A mug fell and broke. The group looked back to see Grobnar grabbing a tray from Casavir as the man could only gape at the little woman who just entered the room. He had completely forgotten that he was carrying a tray of drinks.

"Oh my, Sir Casavir, you almost dropped them all!"

Neeshka snickered and waggled her eyebrows at the farm girl, "That's why. No chance at all."

Avera stood near the table, wearing a gown that hugged her like no ready made dress could. The group clapped or whistled as the hobbit swirled around to show off her new acquirement.

"You like?" She asked in a quiet tone, hoping that they would. It was red with a touch of brown accents to it with other areas in a light cream.

"It is … lovely, my lady." He stood on the lower section of the floor, looking her up and down. Casavir had never seen her in a gown and this one was amazing. He touched Avera's arm then felt the material, "This is that leather we brought back."

"It is really soft and is almost as thin as cotton clothing." Avera put her hand over his, "That trader wasn't lying when he said it would stay cool. We have to find him again some day!"

"Where in the world did you get this tailored? To get this made especially for you is expensive! Look at the detail!" Elanee walked around, admiring the dress, "How did you ever find the time to get that outfitted?"

"I didn't." She beamed and pointed at a little head peeking around the door to the hallway, "Dora made it for me."

Khelgar sputtered, "The child? She has talent, that's fer sure!"

Dora ran into the room, and hugged hobbit, "You really like it?"

"Of course I do. You did a lot of work just for me. I can't thank you enough."

"No. We can't thank you enough. You gave us a home!"

Shandra gasped, "That must have taken at least a month to make!"

Dora shrugged, "A couple of the others helped a bit. I took Avera's measurements before you all went to Old Owl Well. Then I made a practice dress to get it right. When you came back with that wonderful material I decided that it was perfect for this."

Casavir leaned down, "You should be commended, Dora. That was a lot of work and it is a wonderful dress." He tapped her nose with a finger and winked at her.

"You like it too?"

"Of course I do! Very much so. Thank you for making Avera happy."

The girl couldn't contain herself.

"Would you like it if Grobnar came to sing for you guys tonight? Maybe you can have a little party for doing all that hard work." Avera smiled.

"Will he? Could we?"

"Oh, I would love to sing for the children!" Grobnar bounced up and down as much as the little girl, "Maybe even sing my foot fungus song."

"And Avera's Bugbear Stew?"

"Oh yes! That too!"

Dora looked to Avera, expectantly, "He will be up soon. For now he has to play some music for me. Now, you go play."

The child ran into the hall. The hobbit chuckled as she turned back and found herself looking directly into Casavir's eyes, "I assume you are interested in dancing then, my lady?"

Should I or shouldn't I? Avera was wondering what she should do when she thought of how Shandra had been watching Casavir before she got the dress and all the time Dora was there. She probably was still checking him out. Well, forget it gal, "I would love to dance with you but … could I use you first?"

His right eyebrow shot up, and his eyes got wide, "Use me?"

She giggled, "For a special dance, silly."

"I would be honored to dance with you."

"Uhm," She fidgeted with a sleeve of her dress until he put his hand on hers, "Not quite a normal dance. You wanted to see me dance like I did while Darmon and his men were here, did you not?"

He licked his lips without noticing what he was doing. His heart pounded as he remembered what Khelgar said that dance had been like. It made him more jealous that Darmon was able to see it when he had not. But now he could see her dance up close, "That would be nice." He tried to stay calm. What in the world could she want him to do? "But I have no idea …"

"All you would have to do is stay in place. I direct you to stand or move your arms. Other than that, you just watch and enjoy."

"So you would dance around me?"

"Yes." She cupped his chin with a hand, "Unless you don't want to. I mean, people would be watching us. You are not used to having an audience, and … well … much of the dance would be suggestive. That might be a bit too much for you. Especially in public."

His mind went into a daze but he shook himself back to reality. She was searching his eyes for a sign. He was not sure what exactly to do. To have her dance for him, with him as her center, sensually, but in public? His heart pounded as he tried to think of what to do, "Would you have to get someone else for it if I … opted out?"

She smiled and traced the line of his jaw with a forefinger, making him tremble in reaction, "I would dance alone then. This is another reason I couldn't be a dancer." Avera lowered her eyes then looked up at him from under her lashes, "I … I cannot get myself to dance like that with just anyone."

The words stuck in his mind. She couldn't do it with anyone. But she chose him. She wanted to dance for him, and even though it would be in public it would still be for him. It was hard to think. His privacy meant so much to him. He wanted the pleasure of seeing her dance, but for her to do so like that with him in public? He was not sure he could do it.

Then the door opened startling him. He looked over as Sir Darmon walked into the Sunken Flagon. Casavir watched as the man took a seat, and proceeded to glare at him for being so close to Avera. He noticed Darmon turn his attention from him to his lady, looking appreciatively at her dress, over her body, savouring every curve.

His attention returned to the hobbit's face. She was waiting patiently, smiling intently at him. He badly wanted her to dance for him, and only him. He did not want to share her with anyone else. Especially Darmon or that ranger, who was also watching them carefully. If she danced for him there, in front of others, it would be for him … not them … should he? If she danced alone it would also be for them and he could not handle that.

How could he say no to her? He knew she wanted to do this with him. For him. How could he let her down? "If you would like me to be with you for this dancing then how could I disappoint you?"

"Want me to count the ways?"

He grinned his half grin that made her feel like she would melt, "No. Shall we do this?"

Her smile brightened, making him shiver with delight, "Good." She took his hand and directed him to the center of the room. The tables had been removed for dancing so she did not have to request anything to be done in that regard. She directed Casavir to a spot and left him there to talk to Grobnar and Sand.

Casavir looked about, suddenly noticing eyes on him. He felt nervous. She had been correct that he was not used to an audience. At least not this type. He was used to directing people, and being in command. Not this.

But his eyes traveled to the ranger and Darmon. Both men watched him. The fact that they would not be able to feast their eyes on Avera's movements without realizing she was dancing for him made him feel a bit better. But was it wrong to revel in this? He was not sure. All he knew was that he wanted them to know she was doing it for him. Not them.

Avera returned and directed him into a crouch. She placed her hands on his shoulders beside his neck then put her left ankle onto his right shoulder. He gasped in surprise, realizing that the outfit's legs were made to look like a dress but they were really wide pant legs. It would give her the ability to be more agile than she could be in a normal dress, "Avera?"

"Shush, my paladin." She whispered, "This is your last chance to back out. I warn you ... this will get intense. I do not wish for you to go through with something you are not comfortable with."

Her fingers tickled his neck, and his breath caught, "I … I am fine. I will be fine."

She gave him a hopeful look. She was not sure if she should continue or not. He looked uncomfortable but also interested. And Shandra was still ogling her paladin.

Avera exhaled as she raised her arm for Sand to throw the spell. He could feel her leg grow so that her knee was at his shoulder instead of her ankle. Suddenly their foreheads touched and they were looking at each other eye to eye. The sweetness of her mouth so close caught him off guard. He could taste her breath on his lips. Then she put her left hand on the side of his face and pulled her body closer to his eliciting a gasp.

Grobnar started playing his lute while Avera slowly lowered herself over Casavir's leg. She hung there for a moment to indicate the start to her dance's story. Her eyes shimmered as she watched his features soften. A sigh of pleasure escaped him then he shuddered involuntarily as she arched her back to start into the dance.

She moved slowly then the music started to move faster, so she did as well. Casavir stood easily as she directed with a touch here or there. He seemed in tune with her, mesmerized by her movements. It took little time for him to forget about anyone else being there.

All he could do was follow her direction and watch in amazement. He had no idea what the story to the dance was. He didn't care. All he cared about was how she twined around him, moved about near him and the sensations her scent brought to him. Casavir's features were schooled, giving away nothing to his feelings, but he thanked Tyr that his plate mail was a long shirt style.

His estimation that the wide pants of her dress would allow her to be more agile was correct. She incorporated gymnastic moves which involved rolls and tumbles that melded into the dance seamlessly.

He noticed that some of the moves she used in her dancing were those used while fighting as well. The way she rolled around his legs to stop at his side reminded him of how she would do this to stop an attacker from getting to his kidneys. It fell into place that she had probably learned both dancing and fighting at the same time. Maybe her fighting instructor taught her how to incorporate the two.

She wound the dance down, getting him back into the crouch, and resettling herself in her original posture with their foreheads touching. She smiled at him, hoping that he was fine. He gave her his handsome half grin to show her that he was pleased. Their eyes feasted on each other.

They grudgingly untangled themselves while people cheered them on. Grobnar started up a slow dance, "Would my lady like to dance with me instead of around me?"

"With pleasure, my paladin." They stood into each other's arms. Her head dropped onto his shoulder while his arms circled her. Now if this didn't make him want to stop by her room for more than giving her a backrub then she had no idea what would.


	4. Warnings and Gith

The music picked up for some high energy dancing which Casavir and Avera opted out of. The hobbit was tired from the long day and the dancing she had already been involved in. They went back to their table to find that Shandra had gone to her room. Avera wasn't surprised. Khelgar was having a drinking contest with a man by the bar while Neeshka and Elanee were quarrelling about whether Elanee should introduce herself to this nice looking elf a couple of tables back. Grobnar continued playing music that people were requesting.

Avera glanced at her mug. There was nothing in it so she got up to get some more. Her hand touched Casavir's as she left the table, and she turned her head to smile at him as she hopped down from the higher flooring to the lower. She almost skipped over to the bar and requested a drink from Sal when a hand grabbed her by the elbow, "There is something I need to tell you." Darmon pulled her behind the wall which held the fireplace, "It is about that man you travel with … Casavir."

Avera cocked her head slightly, raised her right eyebrow and squinted at him with her left eye, "And?"

"That is the reason I wanted you to ride with me back to Neverwinter when you saved my horse and myself from those bugbears."

Casavir noticed Avera being pulled to the side so he walked in that direction. He stopped as he realized that Sir Darmon was speaking to her on the other side of the wall. He turned to the nearest table, and sat down with his back to Sal.

He had noticed both the ranger and Darmon glaring at him after Avera's dance. He ignored them so that he could enjoy mutual dances with the little woman, but now he wasn't sure if he should have ignored this man. He had to know what Darmon would say even though his brain told him it was wrong to eavesdrop.

Behind the other side of the wall, Avera's arms crossed her chest as she watched the officer of the nine, "What do you mean?"

"He left his order. It was a disgrace."

"I know that he left his order. What is it to you?"

"The thing is what it should be to you. You do not know why he left his order and you need to know. You have to stay away from him."

"Is that so?" Her tone was deadpan. Casavir's hopes rose as he realized that she was not accepting the officer trying to turn her against him.

"Look, he left his order because …"

Avera put up a hand, "Did Casavir tell you why he left?"

Darmon blinked and tried to figure her out, "No. He just ran off without warning."

"Then where did you get your information from?"

"I got it from a man named Pierval. He knows what happened. Believe me; you have to stay away from him. He …"

"If Casavir wishes to tell me the reason for him leaving his order then he will do so himself. You have no right telling me to stay away from him. Next thing you will be telling me is that I have to stop being around Neeshka."

He didn't catch the hint, "You do need to."

"Excuse me?" Casavir cringed at the tone she used. He almost felt sorry for the other man. Well, not really.

"They will cause problems for you and tarnish your name. You have to make them leave."

"Are you so used to commanding troops that you need to tell everyone in your life what to do? Do you not warn a person that you believe there is a problem; talk to them about possible issues; or discuss things you believe is important ... but instead tell them that they have to do something?" Her voice started to rise, "Who in the nine hells are you to tell me whom I should associate with? If I wanted a lecture I would go back to West Harbor and whiz on my father's good shoes!"

Casavir almost choked. He chuckled quietly then noticed the ranger in the seat directly across from him, listening in as well. They glared at each other momentarily then decided to leave everything as a truce for the moment. If they did anything else then Darmon and Avera would hear them.

Darmon backed up from the little fury, "I'm only concerned with your welfare."

"Maybe so, but I'll have you know … these people are my friends and I care for them. They are family. They stand with me because they want to! Not because they are under my command as they are not soldiers or anything like that!" She snapped.

"I did not wish to insult …" He suddenly realized that he had made a huge blunder thinking that the people she traveled with were guard members.

"You should be happy about me being friends with Neeshka. She had been telling me since the night we met that I should take you for a swing in the hay. I am certainly glad that I did not listen to her. I don't need a person in my life who would be telling me how to run it! My life is mine. No one … no one tells me to get rid of any of my friends. Not even my father!" She snarled.

"I did not realize they were not of the guard. Except for Casavir."

"As for Casavir ... for your information, I have been traveling with him for months, and he has proven himself many a time to be an honorable man."

She stalked into the other side of the Sunken Flagon's bar, and stopped cold. Someone was talking about her. She glanced across the room to see her uncle relaying a story to a customer.

"She took the whittling knife and stabbed him in the eye. That is why I call it the 'hobbit maimer.'" Her uncle was telling some man about her worst memory. Why was her uncle telling some stranger about her having to stab a man out of self defense before she had even been five?

Darmon tried to follow her but halted as he noticed the hobbit shaking. He had heard Duncan's words and they sunk in, making him wonder. There was more to the bartender's story than he was telling.

Avera growled as she moved around the table Casavir and Bishop sat at then over to the fireplace. She removed her whittling knife from the wall and threw it across the room. It stuck into the far wall inches from her uncle's nose, "That is not a tavern tale! Do you know the whole story to that?"

People stopped what they were doing. Her friends gaped as she clenched her little fists in fury.

Duncan stared at the knife then looked over to his niece, "Yes."

"Do you tell the whole story?"

"No. Just that you were attacked and you stabbed the hobbit."

She took a deep breath, "Good. Don't! Don't ever!" She screamed then stomped out of the room and ran down the hall to her bedroom.

Casavir got up from his seat in order to go after her when githyanki burst in through the front door.

Nnn

The sound of the door slamming was pleasurable to her ears. She stripped off her new dress and put it up before allowing herself the comfort of flopping down onto her mattress.

A clinking made her turn in surprise. The bouncing had shaken a scroll from it's spot and beside it was a bottle. She lifted the glass container while looking into it with curiosity. It had an airy scent of strawberries. Her eyes shone with expectation, taking away some of the hurt she had been feeling.

Carefully, she opened the vessel and poked her little finger in then reset the stopper. The liquid was an oil which felt smooth on the skin. She rubbed the oil onto the back of her hand. It felt so good that she had to bite her bottom lip.

This must have been there since she got the dress from Dora. She had changed in the girls' room upstairs and the children brought her armor down to her room as she went to show the dress off.

Her heart jumped with emotion because of this little treasure. She held the bottle to her chest. It had to be from Casavir. No one else would think of that or even suggest giving her a backrub. What to do now? Certainly he would follow her but here she was in her underclothing. That would look good. Hey baby, I noticed this massage oil. Come get.

A giggle escaped her lips as she grabbed her clean leather armor. It wasn't as if they could do much even if he was interested in more than giving her a backrub. Her womanly cycle had begun just after she had danced with Casavir. That was luck for her. It didn't dampen her spirits much because the present was more than enough to keep her in a thrilled state for quite a while.

As she wiggled into her slacks, she noticed the sounds of fighting. Her eyes grew wide as her Uncle cried out an alarm about intruders. Damn. She furiously put on her slacks.

Then her door opened. A githyanki strode into her room instead of her paladin. Her heart sank. She had yet to put on her armored jerkin and here was the enemy, sneering at her, happy to see the Kalach-cha in such a delicate state.

Without a thought she threw the bottle. As it hit the intruder she cringed, but she had no time to mourn the loss of an object. She pulled on the rest of her armor and grabbed her mace.

The githyanki tried to remove shards of glass as her mace pummeled down onto it's head. It fell near her window and tried to get up. But it set off the acid trap Neeshka had set to keep certain individuals from trying to get in. It slid down the lower part of the wall, dead.

She didn't have time to pay attention to the corpse. Another gith came through. From there she could only hope that there were not many in the hallway. The fighting in the common room sounded nasty. It made her realize there were quite a few of the creatures. But she concentrated on the here and now. There was nothing she could do for anyone else until she got out herself.

It wasn't an easy to kill gith but she finally managed. She ran into the hall and back into danger. Her uncle was fighting with two githyanki on his own with no weapon at hand. Her temper flared. Her mace took out the ankle of one gith then kept going into the side of the second one. It gave her uncle a chance to start pummeling the one that had fallen to the ground from her foot attack as she took on the one that was still up.

She had never seen her uncle fight. Even out of shape he fought with a passion that indicated a near berserk personality. They were back to back keeping their opponents from getting together to hit on only one of them. It seemed like ages until they were able to kill them. It was only moments, but the fear for her friends made it seem much longer.

Her little legs moved of their own accord to bring her into the common room. She was happy to see that the children had not been in there or they did not stick around.

Khelgar and Neeshka were fighting three gith together in a far corner. They fell one and turned onto another. They were doing well so she turned her attention to more of the room.

She watched as Qara was backed to the fireplace by two other gith. With a scream of hatred, the sorceress made them both burst into flames. Avera ran up to her and stood in front of her protectively, "Dang good job!"

"That was nothing." Qara reported in her high and mighty manner.

"I know." Avera winked at the young lady as she turned to see what else was going on. Qara followed her example and looked about as well.

Grobnar and Elanee just finished taking down another enemy. Bishop was shooting his arrows with a blinding speed which made her jealous. She turned from them after making sure that Neeshka and Khelgar were ok.

She ran around the wall that partitioned the Flagon and stopped in wonder. Casavir was fighting back to back with Darmon against five gith. She threw herself into the fray and soon worked her way to her paladin's side, between him and the officer of the nine. The battle was difficult as more gith came to the fallens' aid but with working together they were able to whittle them down.

They were down to one adversary when she noticed Casavir's eyes widen. She swirled in order to hit what was behind her but the gith dropped. Multiple arrows stood out from it's head and neck.

She looked over at the ranger. Bishop sneered then shrugged as if it all did not matter to him.

There were no more githyanki to fight so Avera pulled herself into a chair at the edge of the wall barrier to catch her breath. This was a definite surprise.

Darmon walked over to her, "I will have to inform Lord Nasher about these creatures." He pulled his hand back as he was about to touch her arm, "I am sorry that I upset you."

"I know that you only wanted to protect me. You just chose the wrong way to go about it."

"That is true and I regret it. I hope that you will greet me with pleasure instead of disfavor the next time I come for a drink." He took her hand, kissed it and left.

Casavir watched as the man removed himself from the Sunken Flagon. He noticed that without thinking of it his hand had navigated itself to the hobbit's shoulder, "Are you ok?"

"Yes." She looked up at him, "I had to use your gift."

"What?" What in the world could she mean by that?

"A gith came into my room before I could get my jerkin on. I threw it to hurt and distract it."

He put his palm over her cheek, "It was used for your protection. My lady's life is more important then mere oil."

As they turned to check out their friends, Duncan came into the common room in a rage, "That lass, Shandra, has been taken! How in the hells did those githyanki get into the city?" Her uncle snapped making everyone realize what the githyankis' goal had been.

Bishop knelt over one of the dead. A cocky grin adorned his lips as he stood up and looked at Duncan, "Does that matter? You'd best hurry if you want to get her back." His eyes trailed over the gith to it's boot, "Look, this one has a sprig of Duskwood trapped in his boot. That means they came from deep within Luskan territory... and that's where they'd be returning to."

Duncan advanced on the ranger, "Luskan... that's your territory, Bishop."

"Yes, but it's not my problem." His no nonsense tone hinted for Duncan to back off, "I'm not going into Luskan territory for some farm girl, and certainly not with any kin of yours, Duncan."

Avera raised an eyebrow, "You actually think I want you with us? I'd rather recruit a dire porcupine. At least they are less prickly!"

The ranger raised an eyebrow and snorted. She had quite a mouth to her. She was a bard so what did he expect? But she certainly was no gentle bard.

Duncan became forceful, "You'll help them, Bishop, whether you like it or not."

"And what makes you th..." His voice turned into a cold, sinister snarl, "Calling it due, are you, Duncan? Are you sure?"

"A woman's life is at stake, Bishop. If that's what it takes to move you to do the right thing, then so be it."

"Fine, it will be worth it to be rid of you - and for such a small price, too. You're a fool, Duncan." Bishop sneered.

"So be it."

"What?" Avera growled, "Whoa, hold on there! Since when did you become the leader of this merry little band, Uncle?"

"He knows Luskan so he has to go." She had never heard her uncle being so uncompromising but this was hers and her companions' lives at stake. She was not willing to throw in with someone who hated herself and her uncle that much.

"How far away is Duskwood?" Her nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Two, three ... maybe four days depending on how fast those little legs of yours can go."

Her eyes narrowed, "You don't want to see what these 'little legs' can do, Bishop."

"Don't be too sure. I've already seen one wrapped over a paladin, and those dance moves show much more of what they can be used for."

Avera sputtered as Casavir took a step forward, "You shall not treat her with disrespect, ranger."

"I will treat her with whatever respect I feel she deserves."

"You will take that ..."

She put a hand on Casavir's arm and stood, "We don't have time to squabble."

Casavir nodded, "You are correct. We need to get going if we are to save Shandra."

"At least she is not the kalach-cha. They will likely keep her alive for whatever they need to use her for to get into the haven."

"Then that gives us an advantage. We will need all we can get." Bishop grumbled.


End file.
